Moms Who Turned in Sons for Robbery Did the Right Thing

One of the most difficult, but most important, things a parent needs to do for her child is let him or her face real world consequences when that child gets into trouble. Too many parents rush in to deflect consequences from their children -- which only gives them the impression that the world is there to suit their needs. This is only going to hurt them in the long run. But two sets of moms weren't going to coddle their 13- and 14-year-old sons when they saw what they did on surveillance tape: Rob a 9-year-old girl.

Surveillance footage of the robbery was sent to media outlets and posted on YouTube. The video showed the little girl paying for her goods at a local store, as the teen boys watched her. Then they apparently left before the girl and waited for her. When she exited the store, they grabbed her wallet, which contained $13, and ran.

It's unclear how the moms saw the video, but they saw it. And then they did what a good mom does: Turned in their sons. One brought her son down to the local precinct, and about an hour later, the other mom called and reported her son too.

I think what these moms did is right on. Not only is it teaching them that robbing little girls is simply unacceptable and there are punishments for such behavior, but since they are minors, the incident should be wiped from their record in a few years if they stay out of trouble. This will hopefully give them an incentive to stay out of trouble!

Still, it couldn't have been an easy decision for these moms. Hauling your young teen down to a police station isn't what anyone wants to be doing -- and these days, what with 8-year-olds being thrown in jail for a tantrum, they were probably worried about what, exactly, could have happened to their kids. Plus, the kids are at the age where they can talk back and who knows what stuff they'll say to mom, or how long they'll hold this against her.

Back in my day, if you were arrested before 16 for a small offense, you were sent home and it was up to your parents to dole out punishment. I don't know what it's like now. Perhaps these teens will be forced to do community service.

Either way, these moms made the right call. If they let this behavior go on, the kids will eventually end up in much bigger trouble.